Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

The Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) theme focuses on the incidence and prevalence of violence against women in conflict and post-conflict settings. Polarisation of gender roles, proliferation of weapons, militarisation, and the breakdown of law influence SGBV.

The risk of SGBV is heightened during conflict by aggravating factors, including the polarization of gender roles, the proliferation of arms, the militarization of society, and the breakdown of law and order. The subsequent long-term and complex impacts of SGBV continue to affect individuals and communities after conflict ends.

SGBV is addressed in all five resolutions on Women, Peace and Security. In SCR 1888, the Security Council expresses its intention to ensure peacekeeping mandate resolutions contain provisions on the prevention of, and response to, sexual violence, with corresponding reporting requirements to the Council (OP11). The resolutions deal with protecting women from violence (1820,OP3, 8-10; 1888,OP3,12); strengthening local and national institutions to assist victims of sexual violence (1820,OP13; 1888,OP13); and including strategies to address sexual violence in post-conflict peacebuilding processes (1820,OP11). SCR 1820 also calls for the participation of women in the development of mechanisms intended to protect women from violence (OP10).

Lastly, SCR 1960 creates institutional tools and teeth to combat impunity and outlines specific steps needed for both the prevention of and protection from conflict-related sexual violence. The new “naming and shaming,” listing mechanism mandated in the Resolution is a step forward in bringing justice for victims and a recognition that sexual violence is a serious violation of human rights and international law.

Addressing SGBV is an integral aspect of the overall Women, Peace and Security agenda. SGBV affects the health and safety of women, and also has significant impact on economic and social stability. The Security Council recognises that sexual violence can threaten international peace and security, and that it is frequently used as a tactic of war to dominate, humiliate, terrorise, and displace.

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ASIA/PACIFIC: Study Reveals Shocking New Evidence of Men's Use of Violence against Women and Girls in Asia Pacific

One in two men said they had used physical or sexual violence against an intimate partner, one in four reported having raped a woman and one in 25 admitted to having participated in gang rape.

SOMALIA: Somalia Frees Journalist Who Spoke to Woman in Rape Case

MOGADISHU, Somalia (Reuters) — A Somali court on Sunday freed a journalist who was jailed in January for interviewing a woman who said she was gang-raped by five government soldiers, a case that sparked international condemnation over Somalia's treatment of victims of sexual violence and its commitment to press freedom.

DRC: UN Says Sexual Violence on the Rise in DRC

The UN and human rights groups are warning of a rise in sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Earlier this month, a senior UN official said the organisation's peacekeeping mission in the country had threatened to stop supporting two Congolese army battalions unless soldiers accused of raping scores of women in an eastern town were prosecuted.

SYRIA: Syrian Women Become Casualty of War, with Some Refugees Resorting to Prostitution in Jordan

Walk among the plastic tents in one corner of this sprawling, dust-swept desert camp packed with Syrian refugees, and a young woman in a white headscarf signals.

MENA REGION: Arab Women Say Time for Saying 'Spring' Is Over

Egyptian female activists are looking for a better constitution and members of the Syrian opposition are concerned about the violence committed by all sides of that conflict against women.

Worsening violence against women in Tunisia is also troubling.

The long and difficult process of democratization is causing many Arab women to seek new ways to describe what their region--and the women in them--are going through.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY: Who Inspires You?

March 8 marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, a celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women past and present that is observed around the world.

The first International Women's Day was held in 1911 in Germany, Austria, Denmark and Switzerland. Then, over a million men and women attended rallies to campaign for women's rights to work, vote and hold public office.

CSW 57: Unholy Alliance

Some horrific events over the past few months, including the shooting of a Pakistani schoolgirl and the rape and murder of a young Indian physiotherapy student, should have been an alert for the world to unite in preventing violence against women.

CAMBODIA: UN Official Welcomes Possibility of Genocide Court Trying Sexual Crimes

A senior United Nations official today welcomed the recent decision by Cambodia's genocide tribunal to annul a previous ruling that would have prevented it from trying crimes of sexual violence committed during the Khmer Rouge regime.

INDIA: Men Can Still Rape their Wives in India after New Government Bill

The Congress-led cabinet has been under intense pressure to strengthen legal protection for women following national protests over the gang rape and murder of a student on a Delhi bus last December.

The 23-year-old physiotherapy student died from extensive internal injuries caused by six men who raped her as she and a friend returned from a visit to the cinema.

KYRGYZSTAN:New Law in Kyrgyzstan Toughens Penalties for Bride Kidnapping

“Women should be beaten every day,” says Kamilla,* repeating the grim words of her deceased sister's husband. At 19, he forcibly kidnapped her sister Kulipa for marriage. “The marriage was a nightmare,” recalls Kamilla, trembling from the memory of her sister's suffering.

The practice of bride kidnapping is widespread in Kyrgyzstan and is still considered by some as a valuable tradition.

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